Response to Dharavi

A fog of humidity, flies, and trashhangs over me.
My eyes shake from malnutrition
to sewage to the color of blood.
Every cell in my body is breaking.
Guilt hangs within my chest.
My stomach churns in hopelessness.
Pity, Dirt, Hunger, Sadness –
no, no – look for hope.
Dignity, Smiles, Working Hands –
is that hope? Please, let it be hope.
Stop simplifying
Stop romanticizing
The complexity
Their reality